The updated Shelf Editor streamlines the process of customizing the tabs in your Shelf.
Depth of Options
Maya's premise and evolution has been built on being widely customizable. The interface layout can be moved and rearranged. Meshes have several properties to be modified and transformed. Almost every object, tool, or node that can be used or created has exhaustive amounts of attributes that can be changed. For the unfamiliar, it can be like going down a deep labyrinth of options. But if you focus on one area at a time and experiment with the settings, you'll get a better understanding on how to get the most out of your particular discipline.
Lastly, one very powerful option that Maya gives you is the ability to use the MEL scripting language to access tools, automate animations, or better control a mesh's rig. At that's just a few of the things you can do. MEL scripting is fashioned along the lines of Unix command-line utilities, allowing you to execute commands in Maya. Pretty much everything you see or click on has been constructed using MEL, so if you are comfortable with coding and want to create a list of commands to make your work easier, MEL gives you access within Maya. Several plugins have been written by other Maya users in MEL that can be found online for others to install for their own use. With MEL scripting, Maya leaves a door open for anyone to simply build what they need to get the most of the program.
The UV Editor contains the unwrapped mesh that will reference a texture map.
Performance
Maya's ability to work consistently well can depends heavily on what type of work you are doing and what you are doing it on. For the most part, Maya works really well if you have a decent understanding of the tools. Sometimes an operation of a tool doesn't work exactly as it should because of a poorly constructed object or some weird fluke, but this isn't the norm. The heavier polygon density of the file along with the strength of your processor, RAM, video card, or even operating system can affect how your computer does rendering your scene. There are tricks for handing things like a dense mesh, like normal mapping and displacement maps, that can help to lighten the load. Also, sometimes different MEL scripts that you may be trying out may cause unexpected results. So for those with a decent computer rig and stable plugins for Maya, the better your chances are at handling the bigger jobs that you may do.
